Chuck vs the Final Threat
by LetsGoRed
Summary: Many fans of "Chuck" dream of a movie someday. Instead, what if the studio gave the fans a short webisode, and that standalone webisode was popular enough that the studio decided to air additional short webisodes? This story imagines that follow-up short webisode series. (The standalone webisode can be found in my story "Chuck vs the Beach.")
1. Webisode 1

A/N: It is not necessary reading, but this picks up after my prior short story titled "Chuck vs the Beach."

I believe Warner Brothers owns "Chuck." I'm not Warner Bros.

xxxxx

_It is spring, 2021, and the studio for "Chuck," which had been surprised by the strong and passionate response to its one-and-done webisode "Chuck vs the Beach" yet moved quickly to capitalize on it, posts a tweet on its Twitter account. The tweet says, "Why did Casey call?" Included is a hyperlink, "#Chuck" and "#Charah." __The link is for a video; with a click it launches…_

[Fade in. Setting: Interior of a modern, spacious executive style office. Camera: Set back to take in nearly all of the office, which has computer server racks occupying part of a wall, status lights glowing. One wall also has a few large wall monitors mounted on it, each screen with a Carmichael Technologies logo image showing. Two large desks, one with typical appointments the other with several additional monitors and decorated with vintage action figures. Another wall has a Tron poster. Camera: In tight on the interior side of office door.]

[Door bursts opens, Sarah (S) and then Chuck (C) enter at a brisk pace.]

S: It's a relief that your mom can stay at the house tonight with the kids.

C: When I got her on the phone, she could tell something serious had happened. Once a spy, always a spy [said with a small smile].

[Chuck moves behind his desk and begins waking up the computers and opening program windows while Sarah leans against her desk].

C: I'm still trying to process what Casey told us. They've been out of the spy life for years, why would anyone go after them now?

S: Good thing their instincts are still sharp. Sounds like if they hadn't realized they were being tailed, they might have been captured or killed.

C: Thank God they were able to fend off the attack and escape. Did Casey say he injured or killed one of the assailants?

S: Yeah.

C: [rubbing his head in disbelief] Alright, let's see what we can find out.

[Sarah walks from her desk, opens a small refrigerator, removes and brings to Chuck a bottle of chardonnay.]

C: Thanks, honey.

[Chuck hands Sarah a wireless phone headset; she slips it on and returns to her desk. Chuck opens the bottle of wine and takes a swig; Sarah starts dialing a number.]

[fade out, short commercial, fade in]

[Camera: Looking over back of desk monitor, on Chuck's face, who is staring at monitor. After a couple beats, he perks up, eyes darting to and fro.]

C: [excitedly] Sarah, I found footage of the attack from a Paris street camera! Check this out.

[Chuck gestures to one of the large monitors on the wall and, with a wireless keyboard in hand, hits a few keys. A paused video, somewhat grainy and shot from a high angle and at a distance, appears on a wall monitor. Chuck and Sarah move to stand in front of wall monitor to watch. Camera: Behind them facing wall monitor with a mostly unobstructed view of the monitor.]

[Chuck taps another key and the video plays, showing a physical altercation with Casey and Gertrude up against four men. Casey wrestles one attacker as another takes aim with a gun. Gertrude with a kick separates that attacker from his gun; Casey picks it up and, seeing one of the remaining attackers taking aim at Gertrude, fires, dropping that attacker while the others begin to shoot at Casey and Gertrude wildly. Return fire from Casey drives the attackers behind cover, and Casey and Gertrude are able to use that moment to flee.]

S: [nods approvingly] Marriage certainly hasn't made them soft. If Casey and Gertrude have lost a step, you'd never know it from that video. Can you run any facial recognition on the attackers?

C: [shaking head] The source video's resolution is too low. You have any luck?

S: I reached a contact in French Internal Security who owes me about a dozen favors. One of the attackers was found at the scene dead. They don't yet have a name for him, but they matched him to a photo they have of a suspect involved in an illicit military grade weapons sale. My contact is not directly involved with that investigation, but he does believe that French authorities have been in contact with US intelligence regarding the investigation.

C: I think we should call…

S: …General Beckman. I've already reached out to her office. Getting a bit of a runaround. I said it was urgent and they said [affecting an aloof tone], 'The Lieutenant General will join you when she can...'

[Another of the large wall monitors flickers, the Carmichael Technologies logo replaced with General Beckman (GB), at her desk in uniform.]

GB: Sarah. Chuck.

S: Oh, General, hello and thank you for taking our call.

GB: Of course, and I know why you called. I just received a communication from my counterpart in France, which included a video file from a street camera showing a fight and shoot out. The image quality was mediocre but there's no mistaking John Casey and Gertrude Verbanski.

S: Yes, General. Any clue why Casey and Gertrude would be targeted?

GB: Not yet. Although those two certainly made some enemies over the years, not all of which they put away, or put down, for good.

S: General, did the report you receive have information about the man Casey killed or the black market weapons sale that man was apparently involved in?

GB: How do you know about the weapons sale? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Yes, two days ago a small cache of an exotic high-powered rifle hit the black market. The man that John killed was in an image that French agents were able to pull from dock security cameras of the transfer of the rifles to buyers we believe are active terrorists. What is strange is despite securing an image of the rifles, US Intelligence hasn't yet identified them. [Beckman looks to her side and addresses someone off screen in a commanding tone.] Put that photo up on the screen.

[The monitor that Beckman appears on goes into split screen mode, with her on one side and a still image of a burly man in light tactical clothing caught in mid-motion holding a distinctive looking rifle.]

[Chuck's head wobbles, eyes flutter and the flash sound effect plays as a rapid series of images fill the frame.]

C: [somewhat breathlessly] X-34 sniper rifle.

S: Chuck?

GB: [with a look of disbelief] Did you? Did you just flash?

S: It happens, General, although very infrequently now, and given the age of the Intersect upload Chuck has, it is rarely of any use. What was that you said, Chuck?

C: X-34 sniper rifle. Russian military design, in development about ten years ago. Highly effective in early testing, but Russia went in a different direction, choosing a somewhat inferior design that was substantially cheaper to manufacture. And, General, I think this final bit of information could be important: manufacture of the X-34 never went beyond prototypes, and the entire batch of those prototypes went missing soon after Russia decided not to put the X-34 into production. Their whereabouts were unknown until Hartley Winterbottom shut down Volkoff operations and surrendered its locations and physical assets in Russia to the Russian Government nine years ago. The prototypes were in Volkoff's inventory.

S: So the Russians took them back and then what?

C: They didn't, at least not nine years ago. Those rifles and some other military hardware in Volkoff's supply that the Russians didn't have plans for were left in storage at Volkoff's Site B. Site B contains a massive vault that Volkoff built to withstand just about any conventional means of penetration. Even the Russians didn't try to break it open.

S: So how did the Russians operate the vault?

GB: I can answer that. We had one of Volkoff's inner circle members who was among the few people other than Volkoff who could open the vault. We were able to motivate him ["motivate" said with an edge; Chuck and Sarah briefly glance at each other] to cooperate with us and with the Russians to open and then seal the vault. He was able to get us through the various codes, fingerprint and retinal scans.

C: Where is he now?

GB: Dead, he died in prison. [Chuck and Sarah again glance at each other, this time with wide eyes; Beckman picks up on the look.] Of natural causes, I assure you.

S: And Site B today?

GB: Still sealed as it was nine years ago and untouched as far as our periodic intelligence reports have shown.

[Chuck cocks his head as an idea grabs him; he strides back to his desk and begins working on the computer.]

C: Let's see… Ok, I'm in… here's the video library… and unlocked… now let's run those through the image difference algorithm…

GB: [addressing Sarah] What is Chuck doing?

S: [with a mixture of amusement and pride on her face] Oh, just letting his nerd run free.

C: Here we go! [Walks back to stand with Sarah in front of wall monitors; with a few keystrokes on his wireless keyboard an image of an industrial building in an isolated, forested location appears on one of the wall monitors.] Here is satellite imagery of Site B.

GB: [voice rising, tinged with incredulity and annoyance] "Satellite imagery"? Meaning top-secret US reconnaissance satellite imagery?

C: [abashed] Uh, yeah, well, there might be one or two minor defects in the NSA's firewalls that I've recently discovered. [perking up] General, Carmichael Technologies would be happy to offer the NSA its friends and family discount on our cybersecurity services.

[General Beckman stares daggers at Chuck, who wilts under her glare.]

C: Uh, perhaps a conversation for another time.

GB: [said without amusement] Yes, perhaps another time. So what is it you think you've found?

C: I ran the satellite imagery through some algorithms of my own design. There's no recent ground activity, except three weeks ago there's this: several trucks arrive together at Site B.

[Another keystroke and the satellite video begins playing on the wall monitor, showing trucks pulling up to Site B and several men jumping out and heading to the entrance of building and, with almost no delay, entering.]

C: Now jumping ahead only a few minutes [keystroke] and the men who entered are already coming back out hauling crates, and they remove a lot of them. These guys went through the outer door without any sign they had to force it open and apparently had access to the vault inside in a matter of minutes.

S: So they didn't break in, simply not enough time elapsed to have gotten into the vault by physical means. They were able to unlock the vault.

GB: Perhaps the security measures were hacked?

C: There may be a handful hackers in the world that could hope to get through that quickly.

S: [to the General] Chuck being one of them.

C: Thanks for the vote of confidence, honey, but I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, the Piranha [waggles thumb at himself and spoken with some swagger] still has the moves, but [swagger dissipating] perhaps not the speed I once had. Maybe one of Volkoff's lieutenants who could access the vault was involved?

GB: No. [Chuck and Sarah both turn to General Beckman to see what she means] Hartley Winterbottom gave us a list of every senior member of his Volkoff organization with that access and they've all been rounded up, or killed, mostly by John and Gertrude. We were using private contractors for that work given that pretty much everyone at the NSA and CIA considered anything related to the Agent X fiasco as toxic. [eyes briefly losing focus, reflective] John and Gertrude were a force to be reckoned with.

S: [Looking over at Chuck] Not quite everyone with access is accounted for.

C: [after a beat] Meaning Hartley and Vivian? I can't believe it. It's an impressive feat, but I think someone quickly hacked their way past the vault's security. General, you need to send agents to Site B or ask the Russians to investigate. Site B's system can only be accessed locally. Someone is going to need to go onsite to try to figure out how the vault was opened.

GB: Sorry, Chuck, but that's not going to happen. Relations with Russia are dangerously on edge. We cannot take the risk of sending agents to a sensitive location like Site B within Russian borders. And the Russians won't lift a finger while it looks like the weapons will be more of a threat to us and our allies than to the Russians.

[A few seconds of silence pass, then Chuck and Sarah turn back to each other, a look of shared understanding passing between them.]

C: We should go. If it was hacked...

S: If it was hacked, who better than you to figure out how and possibly who. [some worry creeping into her voice] But we haven't done this sort of field work in years.

C: I know, but it should be safe, there hasn't been any activity at the site since it was hit three weeks ago from what I can tell from running the satellite video through our system. If we wait, whoever it is might make another attempt on Casey and Gertrude. And, if it is Hartley...

S: If Hartley Winterbottom has somehow slipped back into being Volkoff, he knows us and we might be targeted next.

C: Yeah. General, how does the US government feel about quickly arranging for a private jet to be fueled up and ready to fly?

GB: Agent Walker, can you -sorry- [softer, to herself] it's like the old team is back. [voice returning to normal] Mrs. Bartowski, can you still fly a Gulfstream?

S: Of course, General.

GB: I'll make a call. Good luck. [The wall monitor with General Beckman flickers and returns to the Carmichael Technologies logo.]

[Sarah walks to the Tron poster. It is on hidden hinges and she swings it away from the wall to reveal a small safe, which she unlocks and from within removes a semiauto pistol and a tranq gun. Sarah goes to Chuck and hands him the tranq gun. He looks at it with unease and then locks eyes with Sarah. She checks her gun's magazine, press-checks its chamber, and with a grim look on her face heads for the office door.]

C: [after a beat, spoken quietly, mostly to himself, and with a look of concern] Here we go.

[Fade out; end of episode.]

xxxxx

Thank you for reading and a big thank you to WillieGarvin for providing some great feedback on the draft, helping me tighten up the story.

As with "Chuck vs the Beach" I am imagining how more "Chuck" could come to the screen in a budget and logistics conscious way via short webisodes. So I'm writing "on a budget" in that I am limiting cast and sets/production needed to film the imagined webisode. For example, the Casey/Gertrude fight with their assailants is watched on a monitor and is shot at a distance. This means stunt doubles can readily play Casey and Gertrude. Also using a short commercial break to allow for some passage of story time. In a way it is me giving myself a little more hope that we could see Zach, Yvonne and perhaps a couple others reprise their roles and give us some more "Chuck" goodness.

Luke's landspeeder in A New Hope was a model X-34; using that designation for the rifle is a nod to "Chuck vs the Third Dimension." In that episode, the model of the bomb being used by the terrorist was IG-88, which is the name of a Star Wars bounty hunter character.

It would probably be more correct to say NRO rather than NSA with respect to responsibility for the satellites, but the show never worried much about using agencies correctly so why should I start. :-)

The final moment is a very loose callback to "Chuck vs the Role Models." There is a scene with Sarah and Chuck in the kitchen talking about the Turners, who have double-crossed Chuck and Sarah. Sarah racks her pistol's slide, holds it up and says, "This is how I deal with stress." Then starts walking away. That is lighter and humorous than what I have in my story, which I intended to have a serious edge. The way Zach in that show episode, sotto voce, says, "Here we go" with a look of concern is, however, just about how I imagine him delivering that line in my story.

If people enjoy this, I hope to continue it. I expect I need two more webisodes (chapters) to complete it.


	2. Webisode 2

A/N: I believe Warner Brothers owns "Chuck." I'm not Warner Bros.

xxxxx

_It is spring, 2021, and a week after the studio for "Chuck" had tweeted "Why did Casey call?" with a link to a video, another tweet appears on its account saying, "What's happening at Volkoff's Site B?" Like the prior one, the tweet has a hyperlink, "#Chuck" and "#Charah." The link is for a new video; with a click it launches…_

[Fade in. Setting: Wooded area with a lone building, squat, blocky, no windows, and a single stout door the only visible entrance. Camera: External shot at a far distance of the building. On the bottom of the screen the words "Volkoff Industries Site B, Leningrad Region, Russia" appear briefly. A utilitarian suburban style vehicle enters frame at high speed and breaks hard in front of building. Chuck and Sarah get out with weapons drawn, take a few cautious steps, then approach the door at a jog.]

[Setting: Antechamber to the vault -A dark paneled, windowless and mostly featureless room other than the stout entrance door (now seen from the inside) on one side, awash in a faint red glow of light, and an immense steel vault door on the other with substantial hinges that speak of the door's massive weight. The lighting in the room is relatively dim. Near the vault door is a large, command panel in the fashion of a wide desk, with monitors, electronics and a keyboard.]

[Camera: Inside the antechamber area, facing entrance door, slowing zooming in. A faint metallic clunk is heard, then the glow of light on the entrance door flips to green and the door swings open. Sarah (S) followed by Chuck (C) enter, heads scanning the room, guns held at the ready. A whirring sound and the door slowly closes on its own behind them.]

S: Clear. [approaching the vault door] You reach your mom before we got off the plane?

C: [following while pocketing a small electronic device presumably used to unlock the door] Yeah. I let her know we could be away for a day or two and possibly off the grid for some or all of that time, depending on where this leads. She's going to stay with the kids at our house until we return.

S: Good. With Casey's last message saying he and Gertrude are safe and preparing to return to California, it'll be good to get back, meet them, and hopefully work up a plan to deal with the threat against them.

C: And perhaps against us. [standing before the vault door, eyeing it] No signs that the vault was forced open.

[Chuck takes a seat at the command panel, begins with a few tentative keystrokes and then, getting his bearings with the computer, rapidly types.]

S: Can you circumvent the vault security?

[Camera: Looking across top of command panel, centered on Chuck's face. Monitor screens cannot be seen, but Chuck's face is aglow with their light.]

C: [stops typing] I'm pretty confident I can, I mean, it was a cutting edge system, but a decade ago. But how quick? I don't know. [starts typing] Hmmm... [typing] I see a few potential weaknesses... [typing] But... [typing] Just seems very unlikely that the men we saw on the satellite footage could have gotten into the vault and begun removing crates as quickly as they did unless they had someone who had been granted access by Volkoff... [stops typing] Oh, this is interesting.

[Sarah moves to stand by Chuck, looking down at the monitors Chuck is working over.]

S: What is?

[Camera: Facing Sarah and Chuck who are both staring at the monitors, unseen in the camera frame, but illuminating both of their faces.]

C: This system has all of these security measures to control access to the vault but there's relatively no protection on the event log. I should be able to open that and see who the system says unlocked the vault three weeks ago. [rapid typing] Yep, here we go. And our phantom menace is… [striking one more key with some flourish]

[The glow on Chuck's and Sarah's faces flickers as something new resolves on the monitors, but unseen in the camera frame. Both Chuck's and Sarah's expressions turn to ones of incredulity.]

C: I, I don't believe it.

[Fade out]

[Short commercial]

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.

[Fade in]

C: It can't be… he's dead.

[Camera: A control panel monitor fills the camera frame showing what Chuck and Sarah are staring at: a still picture of the face of Riley. Camera: Back on Chuck and Sarah.]

S: [a hint of confusion playing on Sarah's face] I shot him. [with confidence and force in her voice] I shot and killed him!

C: [with an appreciative smile] And likely saved my life. Maybe someone spoofed his identity and fooled the sys…

[Riley (R) appears on another monitor, this a video feed.]

R: Or maybe your partner is a lousy shot.

[Chuck and Sarah both look at the other monitor displaying the video feed, stunned.]

S: [nonplussed] Riley, you were dead on the street when we fled from Moscow.

[Riley laughs mockingly.]

C: [turns to Sarah and with a disappointed tone] We have a terrible habit of shooting each other's would-be killers and leaving them only …mostly dead ["mostly" emphasized].

S: Princess Bride?

C: Yes! So proud of you, honey.

R: [Disdainfully] It's been mere minutes and I'm already finding you two nauseating.

S: "Minutes?"

R: You tripped the silent alarm. I've been listening and watching you two since you entered Site B. [mockingly] Once the CIA's best spies, but it appears time has blunted your edge.

C: The X-34 rifles hitting the black market, so you're behind that?

R: Among others items, yes. Despite being a bit dusty, Site B was full of military hardware that could fetch very lucrative amounts on the black market. There are a few organizations in particular that have an axe to grind with the U.S. and quite anxious to do business with Volkoff Industries.

S: [with a guffaw, scoffing] There is no Volkoff Industries. Hartley Winterbottom dismantled it and aided in the capture or elimination of every former noteworthy member.

R: [gesturing to himself with his hand] He came up short. Once the sales from what I recovered from Site B are completed, there will be more than enough seed money to relaunch Volkoff Industries for Vivian.

[Camera: On Chuck and Sarah, who turn to each other and Sarah mouths the question, "For Vivian?"]

C: [looking back at the video feed of Riley] Vivian will never be part of this. You're mad.

R: [Rage flaring] NO! I had all the pieces in place for a new era for Volkoff Industries with Vivian at the head and me at her side, guiding her. Alexei liked to think it was he who looked after her and protected her from afar as she grew up, but as his infatuation for Frost grew, so did his failings as a father and it was left to me -ME!- to see to Vivian's upbringing. I watched Alexei surrender his role as her father years before you caught up to him.

S: Well, he's in her life now and as his true self, Hartley Winterbottom. Hartley will not want this for Vivian and he won't stand idly by as you try to draw Vivian into a life of crime.

R: [with anger still boiling over] Hartley Winterbottom is an obstacle that will soon be dealt with. When I kill him, it will look like an accident. And when I raise Volkoff Industries from the ashes, Vivian, no longer under Hartley's influence, will recognize what I've done for her and again be ready to seize the opportunity offered.

R: [takes a deep breath; a veneer of calm control returns to his voice and manner] I think Site B has outlived its usefulness.

[Riley, still seen on the monitor, presses a button out of view. Camera: Facing the entrance door. The green glow on the entrance door flips back to red, concurrent with a metallic clunk sound, but the red glow is more intense than before and now pulsing. Camera: Back on the monitor with video feed of Riley.]

R: I would not approach that door. If anyone or thing gets within five meters of it, the plastic explosives rigged throughout that room detonate immediately. And don't bother trying to reach anyone. As you undoubtedly know, the computer system is completely isolated from external channels and you'll find that your satellite phones and any other means of communication you brought cannot penetrate the site's jammers. Alexei was a bit paranoid, and absolutely thorough, about protecting Site B.

[Chuck and Sarah look at the sealed door to the outside, then each other, neither moving a step.]

C: Riley, think this through. After all these years, trying to revive Volkoff Industries? It'll never...

R: ENOUGH! [takes a moment to again calm himself] Anyway, I should thank you for confirming where I can find Frost. Her betrayal precipitated the collapse of Volkoff Industries and must be punished. I had wanted Vivian to pull the trigger, but I will relish looking into Frost's eyes as I kill her myself. [briefly raising a tablet to look at its screen] Red door and white picket fence; how cliché. [Chuck's and Sarah's eyes are wide open, tinged with terror, as they absorb what Riley intends.] And when I've finished that business tomorrow night, I can then turn my attention back to John Casey and Gertrude Verbanski. They're returning to California you say? Wonderful. So, here's my thank you gift [presses a couple more buttons]: three minutes to let your utter failure sink in and torment you before the explosives put you out of your misery. Goodbye, Bartowskis. [Video feed of Riley cuts out from monitor and is replaced with a digital counter showing "3:00" that then begins counting down.]

[Setting: Inside Riley's office that he was seen sitting in on the video feed. Camera: On Riley, sitting behind a large, dark wood desk.]

R: [presses a button, speaks towards it] Pavel, come in, it's time to put the next phase of the plan into motion.

[Pavel (P), a man with a soldier's bearing in his look and movement -a mercenary- enters the office.]

R: Have the plane fueled and the team make preparations to depart tomorrow morning. [Riley picks up the tablet he looked at previously and stares at its screen] We have an unannounced visit to pay to an old friend tomorrow evening.

P: Sir, the men will be assembled and we can be wheels up by oh six hundred.

R: [looks back intensely at the mercenary] I will not tolerate another failure like you had in Paris. Clear?

P: Understood.

R: [looking again at the tablet in his hand] Good.

[Camera: Tight on Riley's face as a menacing smile slowly spreads.]

[Setting: Inside antechamber. Camera: In tight on monitor with counter, showing 0:06... 0:05... 0:04. Setting: Outside Site B. Camera: Distant shot of Site B, showing exterior of building with door in center of camera frame. (beat) Camera jump, now closer to door. (beat) another camera jump, closer still to door. (beat) jump (beat) jump, now 15 feet or so from the door, then a massive explosion is heard and the door is blown out, tumbling towards camera and coming to a rest a few feet before it as a fireball leaps out of the door-less entrance.]

[Fade out; end of episode]

xxxxx

A/N:

Thanks again for reading and thanks to davidcarner for kindly reviewing a draft of this chapter. If you're not inclined to write a review, I invite you to drop me a PM to let me know what you liked (if anything), what you didn't (even if everything) or just to discuss "Chuck." I'm always, *always* game to talk about the show that is most dear to me.

I recently updated my profile here on FanFiction to include information on some other online sources of enjoyable "Chuck" related content. If you're like me and can't get enough "Chuck" related goodness, check it out, and if you have other sources you enjoy, please send me a PM and tell me about them.

Notes about this chapter:

Short, simple and probably a bit predictable, but I do enjoy Ray Wise (who played Mr. Riley -who apparently was never given a first name in the show, btw) so I imagined he would be a fun past star to bring back. One more short chapter to go, hopefully with an agreeable payoff for you, and then you can move onto reading much better "Chuck" fanfic by other authors found on this site.

Imaginary budget/logistics decisions for this webisode (reminder: this story is meant to portray a modest, but more feasible, alternative to a "Chuck" movie) include not having a scene with Chuck and Sarah on the jet and not getting Linda Hamilton involved (yet?), thus necessitating Chuck's exposition about the conversation he had with Mom Bartowski rather than the audience seeing/hearing it first-hand. Having Chuck talk about it in the antechamber ended up being necessary for Riley's eavesdropping, so played into the story. Oh yeah, the Chuck and Sarah that get out of the vehicle and approach the building (which is probably just some passable CGI) are seen only from a distance, so, body doubles for Zach and Yvonne rather than having to get them to a location to shoot that. :-)

"I had wanted Vivian to pull the trigger": This is a reference to S4E23 Vs the Last Details when Mary Bartowski/Frost is a prisoner in the cave cell and Riley gives Vivian his pistol so that she can kill Mary. (Sarah, posing as a guard, breaks cover in order to intervene.)


	3. Webisode 3

A/N: The final installment in this short story/small experiment. Please consider leaving a review with your thoughts on the story and the format (either positive or negative are welcome). Also, or alternatively, drop me a PM if you want to discuss the story or "Chuck" -I'm always game to chat about my favorite show.

Thanks go to WillieGarvin, David Carner and atcDave for either encouraging me to write this story after reading my first one, reviewing drafts of this story, or both.

I believe Warner Brothers owns "Chuck." I'm not Warner Bros.

xxxxx

_It is spring, 2021, and a week after the studio for "Chuck" had tweeted "What's happening at Volkoff's Site B?" with a link to a video, yet another tweet appears on its account saying, "Have we seen the last of Chuck and Sarah?" Like the prior ones, the tweet has a hyperlink, "#Chuck" and "#Charah." The link is for a new video; with a click it launches…_

xxxxx

[Fade in. Setting: Antechamber to the vault. Camera: Most of the room is shown in frame, loose wires and damaged ceiling panels hang from above, the control panel and its electronics are mostly pulverized, walls and surfaces throughout are charred, and a thin haze hangs in the air. On one side of the camera's frame is the vault door, closed, covered in soot, but intact. On the other side is the now door-less entrance with daylight showing through. A few silent seconds pass.]

[Camera: Facing vault door, a muffled, deep sound of meshing gears in motion starts up and the vault door swings out and open, revealing Chuck (C) and Sarah (S) standing within, Chuck holding a small control box hanging from a cable on which he is depressing a large button.]

[Vault door now fully open, Chuck drops control box and he and Sarah step into the antechamber, looking about at the destruction.]

S: [spoken a bit numbly] Well, good to know that when motivated by a ticking timebomb, the Piranha still has the speed to match the moves.

C: [said as a sigh] Yeah. [a smile mixed with relief spreads across Chuck's face]

C: [points across antechamber] More good news.

[Camera: cuts to door-less entrance; cuts back to Chuck and Sarah]

C: The door is now unlocked.

[Both begin walking, stepping around debris and toward the open entrance. After a few steps, Sarah stops, takes Chuck's hand in hers, stopping him.]

S: [earnest] Thank you for getting us out of harm's way. For saving the day once again.

C: [speaking softly] Hey, I think of you, the kids, and it brings out the best in me.

S: [gives him a quick kiss] That was amazing work.

C: [with a tone of satisfaction] Well, yeah, I am a bit pleased with myself. I already had full access to the event log and realized that the event recording subroutine was susceptible to quick modification. [excitement rising] That allowed me to start feeding the event log back to the system, reversing the flow if you will. [excitement rising more] It was then a simple matter of altering the system clock so that the event log timestamps were now…

S: [interrupting] Uh, sweetie, I adore that brain of yours, but let's save that story for later. We need to get back in the air, and then you need to do whatever you can to find and contact Vivian or Hartley to warn them. And to find out what they know, if anything.

C: [sobered] Right.

[Both resume walking, as briskly as the debris will allow, to and out the entrance.]

[Fade out]

[Short commercial]

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[Fade in]

[Setting: Airport tarmac at early twilight. Camera: A Gulfstream jet is seen from a distance. Chuck and Sarah exit the jet briskly, briefly speak with a pair of men in dark blue pants and windbreakers, then move quickly to an SUV parked nearby and enter. The SUV starts and drives towards the camera, rapidly accelerating as it passes the camera and out of frame.]

[Camera: Tight on the SUV's grill, then slides up facing into the vehicle's cabin showing Sarah at the wheel and Chuck in the front passenger seat. Both have serious, focused expressions, with Chuck looking towards his lap. Camera: In the cabin, showing Chuck working on a laptop computer balanced on his thighs. Chuck's eyes widen.]

C: I know I said this probably a half o' dozen times on the plane, but I think I've tracked down a working number for Vivian. Geez, She and Hartley have kept a low profile all these years.

[Chuck dials a number on his mobile phone. Ringing is heard through the SUV's radio speakers.]

S: Let's hope she answers a call from a number she's not going to recognize.

Vivian (V): [heard through the SUV's speakers] Uh, hello?

C: Vivian, hi, its Chuck Bartowski. I'm here with Sarah.

V: Chuck? Chuck, wow. Don't take this the wrong way, but how did you get this number?

C: I... may have... poked around some servers owned by a couple government agencies and a few cellular phone companies... maybe?

S: Vivian, sorry for the intrusion...

V: No, no, it's fine, I'm just surprised that's all. And a bit concerned, since I don't think this is just a call to catch up with an old acquaintance.

C: I'm afraid not.

S: [spoken quickly and immediately on the heels of Chuck's words] Vivian, Riley is still alive. Has he been in contact with you or attempted to contact you? Your father?

[Silence; Chuck and Sarah glance at each other.]

C: Vivian? You there? Did you know that Riley was alive?

V: I'm here, Chuck. No. No he hasn't tried contacting me that I know. But… Yes, I knew he was alive.

S: You knew? When? And how exactly is he still alive?

V: [sounding ashamed] I've known all along. When you shot him, I was certain you had killed him. I ran and I assume you did too before the Moscow police could arrive. Shortly thereafter I learned that he had barely clung to life on that street. Volkoff Industries kept emergency medical specialists in Moscow on retainer. The first Moscow police on the scene were on Volkoff's payroll and called into their Volkoff contact who relayed the information to the medical team. The team got to Riley in time to stabilize him. With the police officers paid off, it was a simple matter to get him to Volkoff's medical facilities without having any official police report of the incident stating that he was still alive.

S: Did your father know?

V: No, I didn't tell him, and he never found out.

C: My God, Vivian. If you knew Riley was alive back then, why, when your father was free of his Volkoff alter ego and providing information to the agencies so they could round up members of Volkoff Industries, you didn't say anything?

V: I felt sorry for him, Chuck, and I didn't think he would ever trouble anyone again. He recovered physically but he seemed so diminished, so mentally -I don't know- infirmed. Nearly dying sapped the fight out of him and he didn't return to Volkoff Industries after that. I know back then he was trying to lead me down a terrible path, but in his own twisted way he seemed to care about me, to look out for me in that difficult time when I thought I had no one I could trust. Now of course it seems foolish, reckless. Why are asking me this now? What has happened?

C: Vivian, Riley's trying to resurrect Volkoff Industries.

V: What?

C: For you.

V: No! I, I, I don't want that. Chuck, you must believe me! I would never ever consider that life again.

C: I do. [glances at Sarah] We both do. But Riley is already moving on his plan.

S: Vivian, he's unstable, but seems to have regained all his former ruthless cunning, if he ever lost it. He's dangerous; he's made an attempt on our lives and our friends' lives. You and especially Hartley need to be careful.

V: My father? Why do you say that?

C: Riley no longer thinks your father is, um, a good influence on you.

V: Oh my God, are you saying he may try to kill my father? [despondent] This is all my fault.

C: Vivian, we're going to stop him. [Chuck and Sarah exchange a look; Chuck nods but his brow is furrowed with worry] But if we don't, you and your father need to be on alert and do what you can to stay safe.

V: Ok. Thank you, both of you. I'm so sorry about this, about everything.

C: Goodbye, Vivian.

V: Goodbye. Good luck.

[Chuck ends the call. Camera: Above the hood, looking into the vehicle's cabin, showing both Chuck and Sarah. Sarah takes her right hand off the wheel and reaches out as Chuck reaches out with his left, each taking the other's hand and giving a quick mutual squeeze. The hands part and Sarah regrips the wheel as the two look over the camera at the road ahead with deadly serious expressions.]

[Fade out]

[Short commercial]

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[Fade in]

[Setting: Interior of the red door, white picket fence house from Season 5. Camera: Inside, facing the front door. Windows show that its night time outside. The interior is illuminated by moonlight. Riley (R) with two mercenaries right behind him -one is Pavel, the other a hulking man easily over six feet tall and very muscular- enter, moving slowly and quietly through the house. The mercs each hold a military carbine and Riley a semiauto pistol. As they move through the house, the sound of running water and dishes clinking mixed with a woman humming grows louder. The sound draws the men towards the kitchen, which is clearly brightly lit as light spills out of its entrance. Nearing the entrance, Riley gestures for the two mercs to follow him into the kitchen. They turn the corner and enter. Camera: The kitchen is seen from what would be the men's point of view; the sink can be seen but there is no running water and no one occupying the room. Camera: Facing Riley, his eyes darting around, then they lock onto something. Camera: In close facing the kitchen sink, where to one side an iPad type tablet sits with an audio playback app running (made obvious by a rolling audio wave visual). Camera: Facing the three men, whose expressions are changing from confusion to surprise as they realize the sounds they followed are emanating from the tablet.]

R: [seething, through clenched teeth] Frost.

[The men stand abreast, each separated by about a foot. Behind them and seen between the separation and over their shoulders, Chuck and Sarah step from the darkness of the adjacent room, pistols levelled at the men.]

C: Guess again.

[Riley begins to pivot.]

C: Don't move! Lay your weapons down and then slowly turn around.

[The mercs and Riley lay their weapons down on the floor and turn slowly to face Chuck and Sarah.]

R: [surprised, then with a tight face] I thought I'd killed you.

S: Funny how that works.

[Riley looks past them, eyes searching.]

R: Only the two of you? No backup, no cavalry? [a devilish smile begins to form on Riley's face]

C: We can manage the likes of you just…

R: Ha! Two washed-up spies. [pointing at Chuck] You, on your best day, were hardly a threat. No. It will not end here. [turning to Pavel, a threatening tone] I warned you that failure a second time was not acceptable.

[Pavel is standing across from Sarah and stares intensely at her, his weight subtly shifting forward. Sarah senses the shift, begins to level her pistol at Pavel.]

C: Sarah, wait!

[Sarah's eyes dart towards Chuck for an instant and in that moment Pavel lunges and is able to extend his reach to strike the pistol from Sarah's grip. He presses forward with two wild swings at Sarah, but is unable to connect as she deftly dodges each. Pavel's advantage quickly dissipates as Sarah delivers several rapid palm strikes; the first he is able to block but the remainder connect with his sternum and head, followed by a fierce kick to his abdomen that staggers him.]

[Camera: On Riley and the heavy merc, who are transfixed by the ferocity of Sarah's counterattack on Pavel. Camera: On Chuck, who is similarly momentarily transfixed, he then turns to Riley and the heavy merc as the heavy merc turns his focus to Chuck and charges forward. Chuck gets off a hasty hip shot with his tranq gun, the dart striking the merc in his midsection; the merc's momentum carries him onward, barreling semiconscious into Chuck. The two strike the floor hard, the tranq gun knocked from Chuck's grasp. Chuck is on his back, stunned, with the heavy merc, unconscious, sprawled across Chuck's legs.]

[Riley regains his wits, picks up his pistol, and pivots towards Sarah. Camera: Over Riley's shoulder from behind, showing his attempt to get Sarah in his gun's sights, but unable as Pavel stands in between, continuing to be struck by Sarah while unable to land any blows of his own. Camera: On Riley's face, which flashes his frustration briefly before swinging his head to look in the direction of Chuck and then bringing his pistol around to point it at Chuck. Camera: On Chuck, who is still on ground, shaking the daze from his head and struggling to get the merc off him. Looking up, he sees he is in Riley's gunsights and closes his eyes, bracing for the shot.]

[Camera: On Riley, a victorious grin on his face. There is a flash at his shooting hand and suddenly a small throwing knife (the flash having been the glint off the knife's metal) is protruding from the back of his gun hand; he howls, loses his grip on the pistol, and clutches his wounded hand with his other. Camera: On Sarah, her arm still extended from the throw, with Pavel sprawled on the floor at her feet, his breathing labored, attempting but unable to get back to his feet. Camera: Back on Riley, who drops to one knee, his legs weakened by the pain. Sarah comes to stand over him and yanks the knife free from his hand, drawing another howl from Riley.]

S: [eyes locked with Riley's] Not so blunt after all, wouldn't you say?

[Heavily armed FBI agents rush into the house, announcing their presence with shouts. Agents begin securing the wrists of the two mercs and Riley, one agent quickly wrapping Riley's wounded hand in bandaging.]

C: [staring at Riley with a satisfied smile] The cavalry. Probably were just busy cleaning up whatever rabble you had outside.

[Riley gives Chuck a sour expression, then stares defiantly at the agents and finally at Sarah; Sarah moves to Riley, her face close to his, speaking with controlled intensity].

S: I have no doubt you are going to be thrown into a dark hole from which you will never come out. And you should be thankful for that, because if I ever get the inkling that you might again threaten my family -_my kids!_\- or my friends, I will finish you, utterly. _That_ I vow.

[Riley shrinks, defiance replaced with fear; Chuck's eyes widen at the intensity coming from Sarah and then he nods approvingly. Riley and a wobbly Pavel are led away by FBI agents while the heavy merc, still out cold, is carried with some difficulty on the shoulders of two more FBI agents. One agent (A) trails behind, picking up the mercs' dropped weapons.]

C: Agent, did you see John Casey?

Agent: Yes, he's outside. The General and Ms. Verbanski helped subdue the other perps who were setting up outside the house. [wearing an expression that suggests he feels a need to explain] Orders had come down from the top to give the Brigadier General and Ms. Verbanski wide latitude to aid with the operation. Frankly, I don't think they would have stood down had we told them to.

C: [chuckling] Thanks. If I know him, he's enjoying a celebratory cigar right about now.

[Agent departs. Chuck and Sarah are alone in the house.]

C: [turning to Sarah] You saved me from that mad man… again.

S: [staring intently into Chuck's eyes] Always. [Sarah's expression becomes contemplative] But not just you; I was saving me, too. [Chuck gives Sarah a questioning look softened with a small smile; Sarah takes a deep breath] I found myself when I fell in love with a nerd [places her hand on Chuck's chest] with the biggest heart I've ever known. [Chuck's smile grows] And then he was stolen from me and I was lost again. [sorrow edges in on Chuck's expression] But he never gave up on me and helped me find my way back... [Sarah's voice hitches as emotion washes over her] back to myself, back to him, back to _us_ [Chuck's eyes moisten and his smile broadens more as Sarah moves her hand from his chest to his cheek]. If I lost you… [shakes head, speaking with conviction] I won't lose us again. I won't. [each look into each other's eyes for a couple beats, silent.]

[The two begin to walk from the kitchen holding hands, find their way to the family room and come to stand where they had their picnic on the floor by candlelight at the end of S5E8 "vs the Baby".]

C: Sarah, I'm so sorry for distracting you when Riley's man charged.

S: Chuck, it's ok. [grinning] He never stood a chance. [quizzically] So, what was it? You didn't want me to kill him?

C: Well, yeah, there was that, but also I didn't want you to make a mess of the kitchen. [looking queasy] Viscera. Brain matter. [shudders]

[Sarah silently laughs while shaking her head.]

C: That reminds me…

S: [surprised] That reminds you?

C: Yeah, of Morgan.

S: [no longer surprised] Ah.

C: After we speak with Casey, we better call Morgan. I'm sure he's worrying. He's probably stressing out my mom and the kids.

S: [grinning] Probably.

[Chuck and Sarah wrap arms around each other's waist. Camera: Facing Chuck and Sarah, within a few feet of them. Both are looking at each other]

C: I love you.

S: I love you, too.

[Chuck turns his head to look towards the direction that the FBI agents led Riley and the mercs out of the house, then back to Sarah.]

C: [with a crooked smile] And I love it when a plan comes together.

S: Han Solo?

C: [Chuck slightly cringes, then smirks and looks at Sarah] Oh, honey, no, it's John 'Hannibal'…

S: [looking into Chuck's eyes, smiling, cuts him off] Chuck.

C: Yeah?

S: Shut up and kiss me. [Chuck's smile widens and the two begin to kiss]

[Camera: Further away from Chuck and Sarah, about 2 feet above floor angled slightly up, capturing them toe to head in frame, the two embracing and kissing. Camera's focus is drawn in causing view of Chuck and Sarah to soften while they continue to kiss. Camera slowly rotates left 90 degrees until the white painted frame board of the family room entryway, in sharp focus, takes up most of the camera frame width, the frame board awash with moonlight. Camera begins to rise slowly in line with the frame board, traveling its surface. At first the entryway frame board is plain white, then there is a horizontal mark penned on it with "Stephen, 3" written adjacent to it. In close proximity another mark with "Samantha, 3" is seen. The camera continues its slow ascent, passing over several more height marks labelled with one child's or the other's name and age, showing that Stephen has reached the age of six and Samantha seven. The camera ascends past the last height mark, over more plain white paint of the entryway frame board, and then comes to a stop on a carving, the exposed wood where the paint has been etched out darkened with age, making for tawny colored letters that clearly stand in contrast to the moonlit white paint.]

.Sarah.

.+.

.Chuck.

[Fade out. End.]

xxxxx

A/N: The good news is the WB upped the budget a bit for the last webisode, allowing for the tarmac scene, Lauren Cohan to reprise her role as Vivian thereby providing the voice for the call in the car, Ray Wise and several extras on set for the final part, and a stunt coordinator for the fight (yes, Yvonne does her own fighting in the scene ;-) ). It did mean two commercial interruptions, one or both probably for the SUV that is prominently shown in the webisode as Chuck and Sarah's vehicle.

The last part of this episode draws on S5E8 "vs the Baby." The intention was to create the impression that the trap for Riley was the same as the trap for Ryker in that episode (Sarah at the sink pretending to by Mom Bartowski like she pretended to be her mom at her mom's sink), but I altered it to hopefully throw a bit of a curveball and to not be too repetitive.

"Viscera…Brain matter" is from S3E13 "vs the Other Guy" when Morgan, watching the security camera of Shaw's fight realizes Shaw is pulling punches. Chuck counters saying Shaw shot people, to which Morgan asks Chuck, "Did you see blood? Viscera? Brain matter?"

Chuck's "You saved me..." and Sarah's "Always." is essentially the exchange the two have after Sarah shot Riley to prevent him from shooting Chuck in S4E23 "vs The Last Details."

Sarah's dialog about finding herself was influenced by Zettel's "Sarah vs Omaha" story found here on FanFiction. I won't say more in case you haven't read it. (If you have not read it and you like highly entertaining "Chuck" stories with fantastic Charah, you absolutely should.)

The last piece of dialog is a blend of what the two say to each other during what are probably the two most significant kisses Chuck and Sarah had on the show. Sarah saying, "Chuck," and Chuck replying, "Yeah?" is what was said in the series finale before Sarah says the show's last bit of dialog, "Kiss me." For my last line I instead used "Shut up and kiss me," which is what Sarah says to Chuck right before they kiss in the Paris hotel room after she realizes he saved her from Shaw and Chuck is rambling on about how he's still the same Chuck despite having shot Shaw.

Thank you for reading. Write a review! Send a PM! And keep on enjoying "Chuck."


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